Adiponectin is involved in the control of energy homeostasis in peripheral tissues through Adipor1 and Adipor2 receptors. An increasing amount of evidence suggests that this adipocytesecreted hormone may also act at the hypothalamic level to control energy homeostasis. In the present study, we observed the gene and protein expressions of Adipor1 and Adipor2 in rat hypothalamus using different approaches. By immunohistochemistry, Adipor1 expression was ubiquitous in the rat brain. By contrast, Adipor2 expression was more limited to specific brain areas such as hypothalamus, cortex, and hippocampus. In arcuate and paraventricular hypothalamic nuclei, Adipor1, and Adipor2 were expressed by neurons and astrocytes. Furthermore, using transgenic green fluorescent protein mice, we showed that Adipor1 and Adipor2 were present in proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and neuropeptide Y (NPY) neurons in the arcuate nucleus. Finally, adiponectin treatment by intracerebroventricular injection induced AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation in the rat hypothalamus. This was confirmed by in vitro studies using hypothalamic membrane fractions. In conclusion, Adipor1 and Adipor2 are both expressed by neurons (including POMC and NPY neurons) and astrocytes in the rat hypothalamic nuclei. Adiponectin is able to increase AMPK phosphorylation in the rat hypothalamus. These data reinforced a potential role of adiponectin and its hypothalamic receptors in the control of energy homeostasis.

The insulin-sensitive glucose transporter Glut4 is expressed in brain areas that regulate energy homeostasis and body adiposity. In contrast with peripheral tissues, however, the impact of insulin on Glut4 plasma membrane (PM) translocation in neurons is not known. In this study, we examined the role of two anorexic hormones (leptin and insulin) on Glut4 translocation in a human neuronal cell line that express endogenous insulin and leptin receptors. We show that insulin and leptin both induce Glut4 translocation to the PM of neuronal cells and activate glucose uptake. Wortmannin, a specific inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, totally abolished insulin- and leptin-dependent Glut4 translocation and stimulation of glucose uptake. Thus, Glut4 translocation is a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-dependent mechanism in neuronal cells. Next, we investigated the impact of chronic insulin and leptin treatments on Glut4 expression and translocation. Chronic exposure of neuronal cells to insulin or leptin down-regulates Glut4 proteins and mRNA levels and abolishes the acute stimulation of glucose uptake in response to acute insulin or leptin. In addition, chronic treatment with either insulin or leptin impaired Glut4 translocation. A cross-desensitization between insulin and leptin was apparent, where exposure to insulin affects leptin-dependent Glut4 translocation and vice versa. This cross-desensitization could be attributed to the increase in suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 expression, which was demonstrated in response to each hormone. These results provide evidence to suggest that Glut4 translocation to neuronal PM is regulated by both insulin and leptin signaling pathways. These pathways might contribute to an in vivo glucoregulatory reflex involving a neuronal network and to the anorectic effect of insulin and leptin.

Leptin and insulin are major signals to the hypothalamus to regulate energy homoeostasis and body adiposity. IR (insulin receptors) and leptin receptors (long isoform, ObRb) share a number of signalling cascades, such as JAK2/STAT-3 (Janus kinase 2/signal transduction and activator of transcription 3) and PI3K (phosphoinositide 3-kinase); the cross-talk between IR and ObRb have been described previously in non-neuronal cells. Differentiated human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cells express endogenous ObR and IR, and respond to leptin and insulin with stimulation of STAT-3 and MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) phosphorylation, and PI3K activity. Insulin or leptin pre-treatment of SH-SY5Y cells increased basal STAT-3 phosphorylation, but abolished the acute effect of these hormones, and, interestingly, leptin pre-treatment abolished insulin effect and vice versa. Similar results were obtained for MAPK phosphorylation, but leptin or insulin pre-treatment did not completely abolish the acute effect of insulin or leptin. We have also showed that insulin and leptin are able to activate PI3K through IRS-1 (insulin receptor substrate 1) and IRS-2 respectively. Furthermore, leptin or insulin pre-treatment increased basal PI3K activity and IRS-1 or IRS-2 association with p85 and abolished acute insulin or leptin effect, in addition to the down-regulation of IRS-1 and IRS-2. Finally, insulin pre-treatment reduced leptin binding by approx. 60%, and leptin pre-treatment reduced the expression of insulin receptor by 40% in SH-SY5Y cells, which most likely accounts for the cross down-regulation of leptin and insulin receptors. These results provide evidence to suggest cross down-regulation of leptin and insulin receptors at both receptor and downstream signalling levels. This finding may contribute to the understanding of the complex relationship between leptin resistance and insulin resistance at the neuronal level.

BackgroundMetabolic and endocrine environment during early life is crucial for metabolic imprinting. When dams were fed a high fat diet (HF diet), rat offspring developed hypothalamic leptin resistance with lean phenotype when weaned on a normal diet. Interestingly, when grown on the HF diet, they appeared to be protected against the effects of HF diet as compared to offspring of normally fed dams. The mechanisms involved in the protective effect of maternal HF diet are unclear.Methodology/Principal FindingsWe thus investigated the impact of maternal high fat diet on offspring subjected to normal or high palatable diet (P diet) on metabolic and endocrine parameters. We compared offspring born to dams fed P or HF diet. Offspring born to dams fed control or P diet, when fed P diet exhibited a higher body weight, altered hypothalamic leptin sensitivity and metabolic parameters suggesting that maternal P diet has no protective effect on offspring. Whereas, maternal HF diet reduces body weight gain and circulating triglycerides, and ameliorates corpulence index of offspring, even when subjected to P diet. Interestingly, this protective effect is differently expressed in male and female offspring. Male offspring exhibited higher energy expenditure as mirrored by increased hypothalamic UCP-2 and liver AdipoR1/R2 expression, and a profound change in the arcuate nucleus astrocytic organization. In female offspring, the most striking impact of maternal HF diet is the reduced hypothalamic expression of NPY and POMC.Conclusions/SignificanceHF diet given during gestation and lactation protects, at least partially, offspring from excessive weight gain through several mechanisms depending upon gender including changes in arcuate nucleus astrocytic organization and increased hypothalamic UCP-2 and liver AdipoR1/2 expression in males and reduced hypothalamic expression of NPY and POMC in females. Taken together our results reveal new mechanisms involved in the protective effect of maternal HF diet.

Hyperprolactinemia and hyperleptinemia occur during gestation and lactation with marked hyperphagia associated with leptin resistance. Prolactin (PRL) induces the expression of orexigenic neuropeptide Y (NPY) through the activation of JAK-2/STAT-3 signaling pathway in hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) leading to hyperphagia. PRL may also act through the inhibition of anorexigenic effect of leptin via induction of suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS-3). This paper aimed to co-localize PRL (PRL-R) and leptin (ObRb) receptors in the hypothalamus of female rats and investigate the possible cross-desensitization between PRL-R and ObRb. We showed that: 1) PRL-R and ObRb are expressed in the PVN and co-localized in the same neurons; 2) in lactating females leptin failed to activate JAK-2/STAT-3 signaling pathway; 3) in Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) stably co-expressing PRL-R and ObRb, overexposure to PRL did not affect leptin signaling but totally abolished PRL-dependent STAT-5 phosphorylation. The overexposure to leptin produces similar results with strong alteration of leptin-dependent STAT-3 phosphorylation, whereas PRL-dependent STAT-5 was not affected; and 4) CHO-ObRb/PRL-R cells overexposure to leptin or PRL induces the expression of negative regulators SOCS-3 and PTP-1B. Thus, we conclude that these negative regulators affect specifically the inducer signaling pathway; for instance, SOCS-3 induced by PRL will affect PRL-R signaling but not ObRb signaling and vice versa. Finally, the lack of cross-desensitization between PRL-R and ObRb suggests that hyperphagia observed during gestation and lactation may be attributed to a direct effect of PRL on NPYexpression, and is most likely exacerbated by the physiological leptin resistance state.